Door control mechanism



Jan. 5, 1954 E. L. ALLEN DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 12, 1949 INVENTbR. EDWIN L, ALLEN ZZr' ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 5, 1954 E. L. ALLEN ,15

DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Feb. 12. 1949 a Sheets-Sheet 2 KW 'n/ 6 I 4i i 4 0 INVEN TOR. Fl 63 I';:DWlN L. ALLEN ATToR/vzys 8 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. FDWIN L. ALLEN ATTORNEYS E. L. ALLEN DOOR CONTROL MECHANISMJan. 5, 1954 Filed Feb. 12. 1949 Jan. 5, 1954 E. L. ALLEN DOOR CONTROLMECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 12, 1949 wxufik i FIG. 6

FIG. 8

' INVENTOR. EDWIN L. AL EN BY A TTOPNEXB' Jan. 5, 1954 E. L. ALLEN DOORCONTROL MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 12. 1949 U L r VlflflillIN VEN TOR.

BYEDWIN L. ALLEN Jan 5, 1954 E. ALLEN 2,665,

DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Feb. 12, 1949 's Sheets-Sheet e IN VEN TOR.

.Q WI L. ALLEN HTTOFNEYS.

Jam 5, 1954 E. L. ALLEN DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 FiledFeb. 12, 1949 INVENTOR. v gum/m L. ALLEN Jan. 5, 1954 E. L. ALLEN DOORCONTROL MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Feb. 12, 1949 INVENTOR. EDWINL. ALLEN ATTORNEY? Patented Jan. 5, 1954 DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM Edwin L.Allen, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Rudolph I. Schonitzer, Cleveland, OhioApplication February 12, 1949, Serial No. 76,023

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to door control mechanisms and more particularlyto apparatus for effecting and controlling the latching and looking ofdoors of the type commonly used on automotive vehicles.

The Rudolph I. Schonitzer United States Patents Nos. 2,394,413 and2,156,874 disclose certain door control mechanisms which have beenextensively and very successfully used in connection with automobilebodies. The present invention relates to improvements in the generalclass of door control mechanisms illustrated in said Schonitzer patents.

Reference is also made to my co-pending United States patentapplications, Serial Nos. 746,521, {769,074 and 769,688 (now Patent No.2,480,688) which disclose and claim certain arrangements which are alsoincorporated in the apparatus herein illustrated and described. Somefeatures of the present invention are so related to my said applicationSerial No. 769,688 (now Patent No. 2,480,688) that this applicationconstitutes a continuation in part thereof.

The class of door control mechanisms to which the present invention isprimarily directed may be broadly described as having co-acting elementsassociated respectively with a door and its door frame structure wherebythe door may e latched and held in closed position or released fromclosed position to permit opening thereof, and as including detent meanswhereby one of the co-acting elements, which may be termed the latchmember, is releasably retained in operative or door latched positionwhen the door is closed. When the detent means of this type door controlmechanism is actuated by a manually operable device, such as a pushbutton or handle, to release the latch member and permit opening of thedoor the latch member is moved into operated or door unlatched positionconcurrently with opening movement of the door and normally remains inunlatched position until the door is shut whereupon the latch member ismoved to latched position by the closing movement of the door.

The present invention contemplates latch mechanism supported in asuitable frame structure and having a latch member (illustrated as abifurcated arm but which may be of the gear or other type) pivotallymounted thereon for movement between latched and unlatched position.Associated with the latch member and movable therewith is a latchelement and the mechanism further includes a detent member adapted toblock and hold the latch member and element in latched position. Thisdetent member may also be used to limit the movement of the latch armand element in unlatching direction. The invention further contemplatesa compact, rugged and relatively inexpensive as sembly with the parts soarranged and proportioned that a smoothly operating, long livedmechanism is obtained. The detent is eiiec" tively supported and guidedand improved means are provided for locking the latch againstunauthorized operation. The locking means is also especially welladapted to automatic locking operation whereby it may be pre-set whenthe door is open so that the lock will automatically become effectiveupon closing the door. The lock mechanism may also be arranged to beautomatically unlocked upon operation of the inside remote control torelease the latch for door opening. Another feature of the presentinvention is the provision of means which permit variation, withinrather wide limits, of the location of an outside manually operatedactuating element relative to the location of the latch mechanism in thedoor.

The above and other features and objects of my invention will appearfrom the following description of several embodiments thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of an automobiledoor and door frame in which my improved latch mechanism is embodied.

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 ofFigures 1 and 3.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken substantially on line3-3 of Figures 1 and 2, the latch mechanism being illustrated in doorlatched and locked positions.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken substantially on line44 of Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially on line55 of Figures 2 and 4.

Figure 6 is a view generally similar to Figure 5 but omitting the doorframe structure and i1" lustrating the latch member in its secondarylatched position.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but iilustrating the effect of anattempt to close the door with the latchmember in latched position.

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figures 6 and 'l but illustrating themanner in which the latch member may overrun its normal latched positionto accommodate wear of the weather seal or other exceptional conditions.

Figure 9 is an illustrative view of the latch mechanism of Figures 2, 3and 4 with certain parts omitted for clearness of illustration andillustrating the operated or unlatched portions of the latch element anddetent.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 but illustrating the parts intheir secondary latch positions.

Figure 11 is a View similar to Figure 9.but illustrating the parts inlatched position.

Figure 12 is a View similar to Figure 9 but illustrating the manner inwhich the latch memher and latch element may over-ride or-inove beyondtheir normal latched positions to protect the mechanism from injuryunder certain conditions which will be later described.

Figure 13 is a view generally similar to Figure 11 but illustrating amodified form of my mechanism in which a single spring is employed foroperating the latch member and the detent.

Figure l l is a view taken substantially on the plane indicated by lineI4I4 of Figure 13 but illustrating another modified form of my inventionwhereby operation of the latch from the inside of the door by the remotecontrol mechanism automatically unlocks the latch if it has been locked.

Figure 15 is a view generally similar to Figure 1 1 but illustratinganother modification whereby loclr member may be pre-set for automaticlocking upon closing of the door.

Figure 16 is a view generally similar to Figure 3 but illustrating amodified arrangement whereby the outside operating unit may be installedat a point substantially removed from the plane in which the latchmember engages its keeper.

Figure 17 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially online I'II'I of Figure 16 and illustrating an outside operating handlemechanism for the apparatus of Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a view similar to Figure 17 out illustrating a modifiedform of an outside handle mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, the outside panel of a typical automobiledoor is illustrated at I, the inside door panel at 2 and the freeedge-wall of the door at 3. The usual Window glass is seen at isupported in a glass-run channel 5. In Figures 2 and 4, the door is inclosed position and the door frame structure includes the body pillar 6,having an edge face 1 which carries the keeper pin 8 and the doorsupport wedge member 9. The keeper pin 8 and the wedge 9 are mounted ona base plate In which is adjustably secured to the edge wall "I of thebody pillar by means which need not be further described here as theyform no part of the present invention but may advantageously be of thetype shown in my co-pending United States patent application Serial No.23,296 now abandoned.

Referring particularly to Figures 3 and 4, the latch mechanism comprisesa frame structure having a base plate portion II and a side flangeportion I2, the base plate I I being secured to the free edge-wall 3 ofthe door as by screws I3. The side flange I2 is angularly disposedrelative to the base plate I I and extends away from the free edge-wall3 in a direction generally parallel to the inner door panel 2.

Rotatably supported in a suitable bearing in the base plate II is alatch shaft I4 having a latch member L secured to its outer end and alatch element E secured at its inner end on the opposite side of baseplate II. It will be noted from Figure 4 that the latch member L isdisposed on the outside of the door free edgewall 3 while the latchelement E is disposed on the inside of the door free edge-wall.

A spiral spring I5, has its inner end secured to the shaft I4, as byclinching in a slot in the end of the shaft, and its outer end anchoredin a suitable aperture in the side flange i2. Spring I5 is protected bya cover disc I5 also clinched on the inner end of shaft I4. This springI5 urges the shaft I4, element E, and latch member L toward unlatchedposition (clockwise as seen in Figures 3 and 9 to 13 inclusive). LatchelementE, as is best seen in Figures 9 to 12 inclusive, includes alatching abutment member I6, a circumferentially spaced limitingabutment member I1, and a secondary latchin abutment member I8 betweensaid abutments i5 and I'l.

Pivotally mounted on a pin I9 carried by the base plate II is a detentmember generally indicated at D in the embodiments illustrated inFigures 1 to 15 inclusive. The detent member D is of generally L-shapehaving a transversely extending arm portion 28 and a longitudinallyextending arm portion 2| provided with an edge flange 2!. Surroundingthe pin it and held in place by an enlarged head thereon is a detentspring 22 having its lower end 22 engaging the flange II of longitudinalarm 2| and its upper end anchored in a suitable aperture in the sideflange I2. This spring tends to urge the detent D about its pivotalsupport 18 towards latch holding position (counterclockwise as seen inFigure 3 and Figures 9 to 12 inclusive).

The outer end of transverse arm portion 20 of detent D is offset at 23(see Figure 4) in a direction away from base plate II and has an outerend portion 24 which extends through an elongated detent guide slot 24in side flange I2 for vertical movement therein. The detent D is alsoprovided with a latch holding abutment 25 (see Figures 9-12) and,outwardly spaced therefrom, a stop shoe 26 which, as will appear later,limits movement of the detent in latching direction.

The latching operation of the mechanism described above may be bestunderstood by referring to Figures 9 to 12 inclusive. In Figure 9 theparts are shown in their door unlatched positions which they assume whenthe door is open and the latch mechanism is in unlatched or operatedposition. When the door is moved toward its closed position the armportion 27 of latch member L strikes the keeper pin 8 (as illustrated inphantom lines in Figure 5) and, as the door continues to close, is swungabout its pivotal support in counterclockwise direction (as seen inFigures 9 to 12). This causes the point or corner of the latch holdingabutment 25 of detent D to ride over the surface 29 of the latch elementE until it reaches the secondary abutment member I8 whereupon it dropsdown into the position shown in Figure 10.

This is the so-called secondary or safety position in which, as seenfrom Figure 6, the arm 28 of latch member L is held against opening ofdoor by the keeper 3 but, as the door is not fully closed properlatching is not effected and the door will be loose and may rattle. Thedoor normally stops in this secondary position only if it is not closedwith suflicient force. In ordinary usage, the abutment portion 25 ofdetent D continues through the position shown in Figure 10 withouthesitation until the corner of abutment 25 reaches the corner of theabutment IS on element E whereupon detent spring 22 moves the detent andabutment 25 thereof into door latched position as seen in Figure 11. Thestop shoe 26 on the transverse arm 2!] of detent D engages the faceportion 29 of element E to limit the movement of the detent in latchholding direction. As seen in Figure 11 this limitation preferablyoccurs before the outer end portion 24 of transverse arm 29 strikes thebottom edge of guide slot 24', When the parts are in latched position asseen in Figures 5 and 11, the latch member L, shaft i l, and latchelement E are blocked against rotation in unlatching direction(clockwise in Figure 11 by the abutment 25 of detent D.

To release the latch and permit the door to be opened requires that thedetent D be moved in clockwise direction (Figure 3) as by pressure onthe flange 2i by operating handle 36 or other actuating device such as apush button or the like. as een in Figures 1, 2 and 3, handle at ispivotally mounted on the door structure at it! and engages a plunger 32.Spring 33 acts be-' tween the guide frame 3:: and a shoulder 35 onplunger 32 (Figure 3) and tends to hold the plunger 32 and the handle 30in idle or non-,

operating positions as seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3. When the handle 38 isgrasped and pulled outwardly the plunger 32 moves inwardly againstspring 83 and engages flange 21 of detent D causing it to move inclockwise direction (Figures 3 and 11), thus moving abutment 25 out oflatch holding position in relation to abutment it of element E andpermitting the latch spring Iii and/or the opening movement of the door,to move the latch member L back into its operated or unlatched positionas seen in Figure 9.

During this movement into unlatched position the limiting abutmentmember I! on element E engages the detent abutment 25 thus stopping theelement E and latch member L in the position indicated in Figure 9 (andin phantom lines in Figure 5) in which latch member L is accuratelyoriented to obtain proper closing engagement with keeper 8 when the dooris, shut. Thus the abutment 25 on detent D serves the dual purpose ofholding the latch mechanism in latched position and preventing openingof the door and also of accurately blocking and locating the latchmechanism in its proper operated or door unlatched position.

The longitudinal arm portion 2| of detent Dv is arranged to provide stopmeans for limiting the movement of the detent D in latch releasingdirection. Thus detent D may be moved from its normal latch releasedposition of Figure 9 into' the position indicated in phantom lines inFigure 9 in which the edge 36 of the lower end portion of longitudinalarm 2| has engaged the surface 3? of element E. It will also be notedfrom Figure 9 that the movement of the detent D in latch releasingdirection is stopped by engagement of edge 36 with surface 3? prior todisengagement of the abutment 25 with the limiting abutment H. The facesof abutments 25, is, H and it are formed on an arc, the center of whichis the pivotal center of support of detent D. Thus there is nopossibility of element E and latch member L moving in unlatchingdirection beyond their desired and predetermined operated or unlatchedpositions and ease of operation of detent D and proper relatching 6 isat all times assured while close manufacturing tolerances are avoided.

The above noted Schonitzer Patent No. 2,156,-

874 illustrates a pivoted latch member of the gen eral type shown hereinhaving a door holding face adapted to co-act with a movable wedge,supported on the door frame, to prevent vertical movement of the freeedge of the door when the door is closed and latched. The latch of theSchonitzer patent however, did not include a secondary or safetyposition in which, although the door is held against opening, it is notfully closed. In order to prevent vertical movement of the latch memberL of the present device (and of the door by which it is carried) in adirection transverse to the opening and closing movement of the doorwhen in the secondary position such that arm 23 of latch member L mightjump over the keeper pin 8 and permit opening of the door, I haveprovided projection 38 on keeper L having a secondary holding faceportion 39 extending inwardly or in door closing direction from theprimary door holding face portion ii] of latch member L. As is seen inFigure 5, when the door is in its closed and latched position the innerpart of face 40 engages sliding Wedge S and thus the latch member L isfirmly held against vertical movement by engagement with both the pin 8and wedge 9.

Figure 6 shows the latch member L, keeper 8' and sliding wedge 9 in thepositions they assume when the door is in its secondary latchedposition. Wedge 9 is at the outermost end of its transverse travel andit is observed that the primary door holding face 18 is out of verticalalignment with wedge a Thus primary face 5B is not effective when thedoor is in its secondary latched position to prevent vertical movementof the free edge of the door which might result in unlatchin due to thearm 28 jumping over the keeper pin 8. Such unlatching however iseffectively prevented by the projection 58 and the secondary doorholding face 39 thereon which, as seen in Figure 6, is directly belowand slightly spaced from the bottom or" wedge 9 and aligned therewith ina direction transverse to the opening and closing movement of the doorwhen the parts are in the secondary latched position. With thisarrangement the maximum possible vertical movement of latch member Lrelative to pin 8 when in secondary position is equal to the clearancebetween face 39 and the lower surface of wedge 9. As this distance issubstantially less than the vertical overlap of arm 28 with pin 8, asseen in Figure 6, release of the door when in secondary position due toweaving or Warping of the body or frame is positively prevented Whilethe normal door holding operation of the primary face ii] and slidingwedge 9 is not interfered with As previously explained, latch member Lis seen in phantom lines in Figure 5 in unlatched position and in fulllines in latched position. Figure 7 illustrates what may take place ifthe latch member L is inadvertently moved into latched position when thedoor is open and the door is then swung in an attempt to close same. Thefull line position of latch member L (Figure 7) shows the outer edge ofarm 28 striking the keeper pin 8 as would occur in the circumstancesjust described. When this happens the latch member L is merely rotatedin latching direction (counterclockwise as seen in Figures 7, 11 and 12)from th position shown in full lines in Figure 7 and in Figure 11 into aposition somewhat as illustrated in phantom lines in Figure 7 and inFigure 12.

7 During this over-riding movement spring Iis wound up and opposesrotationof the-latchmemberL, thus providing a resilient cushion whicheffectively prevents damage either to the latch mechanism, the keeperstructure,-or thedoor.

The same provision for over-riding movement of latch arm L and element Eis also of-value in accommodating possible movement of the'door inclosing direction beyond the normal closed position shown in Figure Ifthe resilient weather seal 4! (Figure 2) should become' worn' in use orremoved or damaged in-soine manner it-would not serve to stop inwardclosing movement of the door at the proper location. Thus whenthedoorwas slammed and the latch member moved into latched position as seen infull lines in- Figure 8, continued movement beyond the normal latchedposition of the mechanism might result in overriding of the latch memberL until it reaches-a position as indicated in phantom lines in -Figure8. Such over-riding, however, merely results in winding up of spring I5and further movement of wedge s to the left (Figure 8) without'shock orinjury to any part of the door control apparatus and with an immediatereturn to normal latched position by spring I5.

1 It is of course desirable in automobile door control mechanisms thatmeans be provided for preventing unauthorized opening of the door whendesired. The present latch mechanism incorporates a particularlycompact, rugged, and effective locking means which is readilysusceptible to modification to provide different modes of operation ormeans for control of the lock-mechanism. Referring particularly toFigure 4, the locking member M is pivotally supportedon the side flangeI2 of the framestructure by a pin 42. The upwardly extending lock armportion43of member M has a projection 44 at its upper end which, when inthe locked position seen in' full line in Figure 4, is disposed tooverlie the end portion 2 of transverse arm 20 of'detent D and preventupward movement thereof suflicientto move detent latch holding-abutment'25 out of engagement with latching abutment I6 of element E. Anyattempt to move detent' D out of latched position when lock member M isinits lockedposition of Figure 4 will merely result first in taking upthe clearance between end portion 24 and projection it and then in aforce on arm43 ina direction tending to cause counterclockwise"rotation(Figure 4) of lock member M,-t'hus-more firmly maintaining it in lockingposition. "A large clearance betweendetent portion-24 and lockprojection id is possiblewith the arrangement described and is desirablein eliminating costly accuracy in manufacture andassembly-and providinga more fool-proof latch mechanism.

Member Ivi may be moved from its full line looking position of Figure 4into its phantom line unlocked position by means of the operating-rod-45and knob 46 which is customarily mounted on the inside of the dooradjacent its freeedge. Lifting knob 26 (Figure 4) will swing member M'inclockwise direction about its pivot pin'42 until In order to maintainlocking member lVL-either in its locked or unlocked positions asnap-over spring 41 is preferably employed having one end 48 anchored inthe-side flange I2 and the other end il engaging member M. In the fullline position (Figure 4) spring 4'! is urging member M incounterclockwise or lockin direction while in the phantom line positionthe end 49 of spring 41 has moved across the common center lineconnecting pivot pin 42 and fixed'end 48 of spring 41 and-thus urgesmember M in clockwise or unlocking-direction.

At the lower end of lock member M is'a generally C-shaped recess 56 theedge face of which is adapted to be engaged by a swinging arm 5Irotatably supported in side flange I2 and adapted to be turned by asquare shaft 52. As is'clearly seen in'Figure 3, shaft 52 extends to acylinder lock'53 of usual and suitable form which issupported by theouter panel I of the door. Rotation-of the key 54 effects correspondingrotational movement ofswinging-arm 5| and the contour'of C-shaped recess50 is such that movement of arm 5| from its neutral full-line positionof Figure 4- downwardly into its lower phantom-line positionwill causethe end of arm 5I to engage the inner edge of recess-50 swinging thelocking member M, if in locked position, in clockwise direction intounlocked position. The cylinder lock 53 is of the-type in which the keymust always be returned to-a central or neutral position before itcan'be removed, and thus, when the key is out of the lock, the arm 5| isalways in its central or neutral position seen in full lines in Figure4.

If the lock is unlocked (phantom-line position of Ft'guree) and it isdesired to lock same from the outside of the door it is only necessaryto turn the key to rotate armEI from its neutral full-line position ofFigure 4 into its upper phantom-line position during which movement arm5I will engage the-upper end of the C-shaped recessand swing lockingmember M into locked position. With this arrangement the lockingmechanism maybe operated either from inside of the door by knob 46 orfrom outside of the door by key 54 at any time to efiect either lookingor unlocking of the door without regard to the position whichthelockingmember M may have beenoplaced in previously.

When the. latch :member L is unlatched detent arm end 24 is lifted asseen in Figure 9. Arm 24 is also lifted, but to a somewhat lesser degreewhen the latch member L is in secondary latched position as seenin'Figure 10. 'When in either its unlatched Or-secondary latchedposition'arm 24 blocks the projection 44 on lock member M out of lockedposition and thus latch membeiaMcannot be effective to lock the doorexcept when it is in fully closed and latched position.

.In order to permit unlatching of thedoor from inside of the vehicle Iprovideremote control means which includes abeIIecrank le'ver R (Figure4), pivotally supported on a pin'55 by side flange I2 and normally urgedin clockwise .direction (Figure 4) by a spring .56 anchored at one endin a flange 51 bent inwardly from side flange I2 and secured at itsother end to the upper leg 58 of bell crank R. The lower or operatingleg 59 of bell crank R extends toward base plate II and-when inretracted or non-operating position has'its end'portion disposed belowand spaced from the outer end 24 of transverse arm 20 of detent D. Theactuating strap or bar 60 has an telongated slot 5i adapted to' beslipped over the vertically extending T-head B2 of stud'63 carried bythe upper end of leg 58 of bell crank R. In installing strap 60 the slot6! is aligned with the T-head 62 and slipped thereover and the strap isthen rotated into final position as seen in Figure 4. Suitable operatingmeans such as a handle or the like (not shown) on the inside of the doorare provided to apply a pull to the strap 66. When this is done bellcrank R is rotated in counterclockwise direction (Figure 4) and lowerleg 59 thereof engages the underside of end portion 24 of transverse arm20 of detent D and lifts same to effect release of the latch mechanismand permit opening of the door. Upon release of the strap 60 spring 56returns bell crank R to retracted position, the portion 64 of upper leg58 engaging the edge of side flange l2 to limit retractive movement. InFigure 4 the parts just described are shown in full lines in theirretracted or non-operating positions and in phantom lines in theirlatch-releasing positions, it being understood, of course, that bellcrank R cannot be operated to release the latch except when lock memberM is in unlocked position.

Figure 13 illustrates a modified arrangement of detent D and latchelement E wherein a single spring 65 is employed to provide means forrotating the element E and latch member L in unlatching direction andfor urging the detent in latch holding direction. Spring 65 is of spiralform, generally similar to spring l5, and has its inner end attached toshaft l4 in the manner previously described. The outer end portion t5extends upwardly and is hooked over the oiiset 23 of transverse arm 20of detent D. With this arrangement movement of detent D from full linelatched position of Figure 13 into phantom line unlatched position willbe against the spring 85 which will at all times tend to return detent Dto latched position. In like manner spring 85 at all times tends torotate element E and latch member L in unlatching direction, clockwiseas seen in Figure 13.

In Figure 14 I have illustrated a modification whereby, without addingadditional parts or substantial cost to the mechanism, means areprovided for positively and automatically effecting unlocking of thelocking member M upon operation of the remote control mechanism tounlatch the door. This is considered desirable in some instances as, ifthe door has been locked from the inside by pushing down on the knob 36and an emergency occurs which requires immediate opening of the door thepassengers first reaction may be to grasp the remote control handle andoperate it to release the door. With the arrangement shown in Figures 2and i unlatching movement of the remote control means is not possiblewhen the door is locked. This may cause the loss of valuable time ingetting the door open and to overcome this I have shown in Figure 14 alocking member M which is substantially identical with locking member Mexcept that it is provided with an automatic unlocking projection or camSIS extending from the edge of lock arm at and disposed between thelower or operating leg 59 of bell crank R and the bottom edge of endportion 24 of detent D.

As seen in full lines in Figure 1d, the lock member M is in lookingposition, the detent is in latch holding position and the remote controlbell crank it is in retracted or non-operating position. If a pull isexerted on strap iii! to swing bell crank R, in counterclockwisedirection the end 59 thereof will first engage the automatic unlockingprojection 65 on lock arm 43' swinging the lock arm and the entire lockmember M out of locked position into unlocked position (seen in phantomlines in Figure 1a). The end of leg 59 may then clear the outer end ofprojection 66, it being understood that snapover spring Al has the sameaction as previously described, and further movement of bell crank Rwill result in lifting end 24 of transverse arm 29 of detent D withconsequent unlatching of the latch mechanism. Of course if lockingmember M is in its phantom line unlocked position the remote controlbell crank R will operate in its normal manner to release the detent. Itwill be understood that the extremely effective, compact and economicalautomatic unlocking mechanism described above does not in any way changeor interfere with the operation of the outside key controlled lockactuating means, the inside looking rod or the snap-over spring ll. Itwill also be clear that, although Figure it is taken substantially onthe plane of line I i-44 of Fig ure l3 and illustrates a latch with asingle spring for actuating the detent and the latch arm, my improvedautomatic unlocking mechanism is equally adapted for use with theembodiment of Figures 2 to 12 inclusive, in which independent detent andlatch member springs are employed.

My above noted co-pending United States patent application Serial No.769,688 (now Patent No. 2,480,688) discloses and claims a latchmechanism which incorporates means whereby the locking member may bepre-set in an intermediate position in which it is urged towards lockedposition but in which it is blocked out of locked position when inunlatched or secondary latched positions and until the latch membersubstantially reaches its fully latched or door completely closedposition. Means for accomplishing this desirable result may convenientlybe incorporated in the present mechanism and Figure 15 illustrates suchan embodiment. The locking member M" is supported in the same manner aspreviously described and is substantially identical with the lockingmember M of Figure 4.- except that the locking projection 44 of Figure15 is somewhat shorter than the corresponding locking projection All ofmember M. Furthermore, the snap-over spring 6'! is so arranged that theend 68 thereof, which acts on member I\ passes over the common centerline between pivot pin 42 and fixed end 69 of spring 6? at an earlierpoint in the travel of the lock member M toward locked position thanpreviously described.

In the embodiments of my invention shown in Figures 1 to 14 inclusivethe spring d! is arranged to urge the locking member M or M toward itsunlocked position at all times when projection M lies between itscompletely withdrawn or unlocked position (phantom lines in Figures 4and 14) and a point where the end of projection i l lies between theplane of the side of end portion Z l of detent D which is eiiective toblock projection 44 out of locked position when detent D is in unlatchedor secondary latching position and its locked position (full lines inFigures l and 14). Thus with the devices of Fi ures 1 to 14 inclusive,if the operator pushes down on knob or turns the outside key 54, whenthe latch is unlatched (Figure 9) or when it is in its secondary latchedposition (Figures 6 and 10) the projection it will strike and be blockedby the side face of end 24 of the detent. As the snap-over spring i"!has not as yet changed its direction of effort re- 11' lease of the Mreturning to full unlocked position with consequent lifting of thebutton 46;

In the device of Figure however, the spring 6] is so arranged that thesnap-over actiontakes place at a point between the full unlocked.position (with arm 43 back against the base plate I i) and its blockedposition (seen in full lines in Figure 15) in which the projection 44 isblocked against further movement in looking direction by end portion 2 1of the detent D. Projection M will be so bloc r d by end portion 24during such time as the latch member L is in unlatched position, whileit is in or passing through secondary latched position, andsubstantially up to the point at which it reaches its full latched position and the detent D moves into latch holding position. vi hen detent Ddoes move into latch holding position end portion 26 drops downwardly inguide slot 24' into a non-blocking position, as seen in Figures 4 and14, whereupon spring 6'! immediately snaps the lock member M into lockedposition (as seen in phantom'lines in Figure 15) with projection 44"overlying end portion 24 and effectively preventing release of thelatch.

With the arrangement just described the operator may, when the door isopen and the latch is in unlatched position, push down on the button itthus moving latch member M" from its unlocked position in which it isheld by spring 6?, through'the snap-over point of spring 61' into theintermediate or pre-set position shown in full lines in Figure 15 inwhich spring 6? urges member M" in locking direction but in which it isblocked out of locking position by arm 24. To lock the door the operatorneed now only push it shut and when the latch memberL reaches fulllatched position (as seen in Figures 3 and.

4) the lock member M" will immediately snap into locked position. closedafter pre-setting the lock as above described, the operator fails toexert enoughforce and the latch stops in its secondary'position as seenin Figure 10, the lock member M" and its projection M" will not moveinto locked position but will still be blocked out'by the end 25 ofdetent D. Thus the operator can release the mechanism from aninadvertent secondary latched position by operating the outside handlein the usual manner and without having to take his key out of his pocketand unlock the mechanism. The next time he closes the door he of co?will use greater force in order to mo e it throu h the secondaryposition into full latched position whereupon the lock member M" willsnap into locked position.

It will be understood that the automatic looking feature described abovemay also be incorporated in'the mechanism of Figure 14, thus providing alock which has both automatic unlocking action upon operation of theinside remote control and automatic lreyless locking action bypresetting the lock member and closing the door. Of course either orboth of these features may be omitted from my improved look mechanism incases where they are not deemed desirable and knob 3E will result inlook member If, in pushing the door generally in; the same horizontalplane as the pivotal axis of the latch member L. In some cases it isdesirableto locate the handle or push button at a higher point on theside wall of the door than the pivot point of the latch member andFigures 16, 1'7 and 18 illustrate a latch mechanism in which the detentD has a transversely extending arm portion l9 and a downwardly extendinglongitudinal arm portion 'li, similar to arms 29 and 2!, respectively,and an upwardly extending longitudinal arm portion 72. The flange 13corresponds to flange 2! of the previously described forms of myinvention but extends the full length of both longitudinal arm portionsH and 72.

The detent D may be moved from its full line latch holding position ofFigure 16 into its phantom line latch. released position by an outwardforce orpull'exerted on the longitudinal arm [2. The handle mechanismshown in Figures 16 and 17 is adapted to effect this operationandincludes an. out-side pull handle '54 pivotally mounted on the. doorat T5 and having an inwardly extending finger it which engages the legFl of bell crank lever 78. The pin '59 is mounted on a suitable framestructure carried by the door and forms a pivotal support for bell crank"8 and springs 89 urge the bell crank 12 and handle '54 toward theirnormal or retracted positions seen in full lines in Figure 1'7. Theother leg 5! of bell crank 58 extends behind the flange it oflongitudinal arm 72 of detent D. It will be seen from Figure 17 thatoutward movement of handle it into its phantom line unlatching positionwill cause corresponding outwardmovement of leg 8! which will move thelongitudinal arm l2 outwardly to swing the detent D into latch releasedposition and permit opening of the door.

A modified handle arrangement for the latch mechanism of Figure 16 isillustrated in Figure 18 in which the outside handle arm 32 isintegrally formed with inside operating arm member d3 which has its enddisposed behind the flange 13. Pin 84, carried by the handle framestructure, which in turn is supported b the door, forms a pivotalsupport for the handle unit 3283 and springs are arranged to urge thehandle towards its normal or non-operating position seen iniull lines inFigure 18. A stop lug S6 is adapted to engage the bezel 81 to hold thehandle in its non-operating position. When the operator pulls outwardlyon outside handle 32 the inner arm 83 moves therewith and engages flange73 causing the detent D to more into latch released position andpermitting opening of the door. Either of the handle structures shown inFigures 17 and 18 may be employed with the detent D of Figure 16 whichpermits the handle to be located a substantial distance away from thehori ontal plane of the latching member. As the detent D haslongitudinal arm portions l2 and 13 extending in opposite directionsfrom its pivotal center 15 it is adapted for use in installations whichrequire either the handle location shown in Figure 3 or the handlelocation of Figure 16.

Although I have described the illustrated embodiments of my apparatus inconsiderable detail it will be understood that modifications andvariations may be made in my door control mechanism without departingfrom the spirit of my invention. I do not, therefore, wish to be limitedto the exact structures herein illustrated and described but claim as myinvention all embodiments thereof coming within the scope of the appnded c aims.

I claim:

l. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion and a side flange portion extending angularly from one side ofsaid base plate portion, a shaft journaled in said base plate portionand having its axis of rotation extending substantially normallythereto, a latch member mounted on said shaft on the side of said baseplate opposite from said side flange, a latch element mounted on saidshaft on the opposite side of said base plate from said latch member forrotary movement with said latch member between a latched position and anunlatched position, a latching abutment member on said latch element andradially spaced from said axis of rotation of said shaft, a limitingabutment member on said latch element angularly spaced from saidlatching abutment member and extending radially outwardly farther thansaid latching abutment, a detent member pivotally mounted on said baseplate for movement between latch holding and latch released positions,said detent member including an abutment face movable into and out ofposition to engage said latching abutment member, means for limiting themovement of said detent member in a direction to remove said detentabutment face from engagement with said latching abutment member at apoint prior to removal of said detent abutment face from the path ofmovement of said limiting abutment member about said shaft axis, springmeans for urging said latch member and latch element toward theirunlatched positions, and spring means for urging said detent towardlatch holding position.

2. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion and a side flange portion extending ansularly to andlongitudinally of said base plate portion, a latch arm pivotallysupported on said frame structure on the side of said base plateopposite from said side flange, a latch element supported on said framestructure on the opposite side of said base plate from said latch armfor movement with said latch arm between a latched position and anunlatched position, a detent member pivotally supported on said baseplate for movement between latch holding and latch released positionsand having an arm portion extending transversely of said base plateportion with an offset outer end spaced from saidbase plate and anotherarm portion extending longitudinally of said base plate portion, saidside flange having an elongated detent guide slot, said ofiset outer endof said transversely extending arm being disposed in and guided by saidslot, spring means for urging said detent toward latch holding position,a locking member pivotally supported on said side flange and having alock arm portion extending from its pivotal support into the spacebetween said base plate and said oflset end of said transverselyextending arm portion of said detent member, said lock arm portionhaving a projection thereon adapted, when said detent is in latchholding position, to be moved into and out of a locking position inwhich said projection is disposed in the path of said offset outer endof said transversely extending arm and prevents movement of said detentmember into latch released position, and means for moving said lookingmember into and out of said locking position, said locking member havingmovement in a plane substantially parallel to said side flange, itslooking movement being away from said base plate and its movement inunlocking direction being limited by said base plate.

3. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion and a side flange portion extending angularly to andlongitudinally of said base plate portion, a detent member having an armportion extending transversely of said base plate portion, a lockingmember pivotally supported on said side flange and having a lock armportion extending and movable between said base plate and saidtransversely extending arm portion of said detent member, said lock armportion having .a projection thereon adapted, when said detent member isin a latch holding position, to be moved into and out of a 1ockingposition in which said projection is disposed in the path of saidtransversely extending arm and prevents movement of said detent memberinto a latch released position, means for moving said locking memberinto and out of said locking position, said locking member havingmovement in a plane substantially parallel to said side flange, thelocking movement of said lock arm portion and projection being away fromsaid base plate and their movement in unlocking direction being limitedby said base plate, and a remote control lever member pivotally mountedon said side flange and having a portion disposed to en age saidtransversely extending arm of said detent on the opposite side thereoffrom said lock projection for actuating said detent.

4. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion and a side flange portion extending angularly to andlongitudinally of said base plate portion, a detent member having an armportion extending transversely of said base plate portion, a lockingmember supported on said side flange and extending between said baseplate and said transversely extending arm portion of said detent member,said locking member having a portion thereof adapted, when said detentis in a latch holding position, to be moved into and out of a lockingposition in which said portion is disposed in the path of saidtransversely extending arm and prevents movement of said detent memberinto a latch released position, said locking member having lockingmovement away from said base plate, a remote control member movablymounted on said side flange and having a portion adapted to engage saidtransversely extending arm on the opposite side thereof from saidportion of said locking member, and a cam member on said locking memberand positioned to be disposed in the path of said remote control memberwhen said detent is in said latch holding position and said lockingmember is in locked position whereby movement of said remote controlmember in latch releasing direction will first cam said locking memberinto unlocked position and then move said detent into latch releasedposition.

5. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion and a side flange portion extending angularly to andlongitudinally of said base plate portion, a detent member pivot-- allysupported on said base plate movement between latch holding and latchreleased tions and having an portion extend g transversely of said baseplate portion offset outer end spaced from said base side flange havingan 6 said offset outer end of said trans ing arm being disposed in andguided b; a locking member pivotally supported on side flange and havinga lock arm portion e::- tending from its pivotal support for movement inthe space between said base plate and said end of said transverselyextendingarm'portionof said detent member, said lock arm portion havinga projection thereon extending away from said base plate and adapted, wen said detent in latch holding position, to be "moved into and out of.a locking position in which said projection is disposed in the path ofsaid transversely extending detent arm portion and prevents movement ofsaid detent member into latch released position, the movement of saidarm toward loci:- ing position being in a direction away from said baseplate, said psolection ing adapted to be blocked out of said locking p'tion by said portion of transversely extending detent arm when saiddetent member is in latch released position, and snap-over spring forurging said locking member toward said locking position when saidprojection is in engagement with and blocked by said transverselyextending detent arm and away from looking position after partialmovement away from engagement in unlocking direction.

6. A'latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion, a shaft member carried by said frame structure and having itsaxis of rotation extending substantially normally to saidbase plateportion thereof, a latch member carried by said shaft on one side ofsaid base plate, a latch element carried by said shaft on the oppositeside of said base plate for rotary movement with said latch memberbetween a latched position and an unlatched position, a latchingabutment member on latch element and radially spaced from said axis ofrotation. of said shaft, a limiting abutment membe" on said latchelement angularly spaced from said latching abutment member andextending radially outwardly farther than said latching abutment member,a detent member mounted on said base plate for movement between. a latchholding position and-a latch released position, said detent menu berbeing; disposed in the path of latch releasing movement of said.latching abutment member when in said latch holding position and clearof said. path of latch releasing movement of said latching abutmentmember when in said latch r leased position, said detent having aportion disposed in the path of movement of said farther extendinglimiting abutment member when said detent is in said latch positionwhereby movement of said latch element and latch member in unlatchingdirection. is l' "ted when said detent member is in latch releasedposition. spring [or urging said latch member and latch element towardtheir unlatched positions, and spring means for urging said detenttoward said latch. holding position.

'7. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion, a shaft member carried by said frame structure and having itsaxis of rotation extending substantially normally to said base plateportion thereof, a latch member carried by said shaft on one side ofsaid base plate, a latch element carried by said shaft on the oppositeside of said base plate for rotary movement with said latch memberbetween a latched position and an unlatched position, a latchingabutment member on said latch element and radially spaced from said axisof rotation of said. shaft, a limiting abutment member on said latchelement angularly spaced from said latching abutment member andextending radially outwardly farther than said latching abutment member,a detent member mounted on said base plate for movement between a latchholding position and a latch released position, said detent memberhaving an abutment portion disposed in the path of movement of saidlatching abutment member when said detent member is in said latchholding position and disposed clear of said pah of movement of saidlatching abutment m -r ber when said detent member is in said latchreleased position, said detent abutment portion being disposed in thepath of movement of said far he extending limiting abutment member whensai detent is insaid latch released position whereb movement of saidlatch element and latch memher in unlatching direction is li ted by saiddetent when in latch released position, spring means for urging saidlatch member and latch element toward. their unlatched positions, and spn5: means for urging said detent toward said latch holding position.

8. A latch mechanism including a frame structure having a base plateportion and a e flange portion ex ending angularly to and longitudinallyof said base plate portion, a latch member pivotally'supported on saidframe structure on the side of said base plate opposite from said sideflange, a latch element supported on said frame structure adjacent tobut on the opposite side of said base plate from said. latch member formovement with said latch member between a latched position and anunlatched position, a de tent member pivotally supported on said baseplate for movement between latch holding and latch released positionsand having an arm portion extending transversely of said base plate andanother arm portion extending longitudinally of said base plate, saidtransversely extending arm having an offset outer end portion spacedfarther from said base plate than its inner end, a'lock member pivotallysupported on said side flange portion for swinging movement betweenlocked and unlocked positions, said lock member'having an armportion'cxtending between said base plate and said offset outer endportion of said transverse detent arm, said lock member arm portionhaving a projection thereon adapted when said lock member is swung in adirection away from said base plate to be moved into a locking positionin which said projection is disposed in the path of said onset outer endportion or" said transverse detent arm, and spring for urging saiddetent toward latch holding position.

9. In combination in a latch mechanism which includes a frame structurehaving a base portion and a side flange portion extending angularly toand longitudinally of said base plate portion, a latch member pivotallysupported on said frame structure on the side of said. base plateopposite from said side flange, a latch element supported on said framestructure on the opposite side of said base plate from said latch memberfor movement with said latch member between a latched position and anunlatched position, and a detent member pivotally supported on said baseplate for movement between latch holding and latch released positionsand having arm portion extending transversely relative to said baseplate and another portion extending longitudinally relative to said baseplate; outer end portion on said transversely extending detent armoffset from the inner end thereof in a direction away from said baseplate, guide for said offset outer end portion on said side flange,spring means for urging said detent toward latch holding position, aremote control lever pivotally mounted on said side flange portion andhaving one end positioned to engage and apply a latch releasing force tosaid offset outer end portion of said transversely extending arm portionof said detent member, a lock member projectingbetween said offset outerend portion of said detent and said base plate, said lock memher havinga portion disposed to engage said off set portion of said detent at apoint substantially opposite, in a plane parallel to said side flange,the point of engagement of said remote control lever with said offsetportion, and means for supporting said lock member on said side flangefor movement of said portion thereof away from said. base plate towardsaid offset portion into locking relation therewith and away from saidofiset portion toward said base plate for un locking.

10. Door control mechanism for associated door and door frame structurescomprising a latch unit including a latch arm pivotally supported on oneof said structures for rotational movement between latched and unlatchedpositions, a keeper pin carried by the other of said structures andpositioned to be engaged by said latch arm when the door is closed,detent means for releasably retaining said latch arm in engagement withsaid keeper pin in angularly spaced full latched and secondary latchpositions, sliding wedge door holding means spaced from said keeper pinin a direction transverse to the opening and closing movement of saiddoor and supported on the structure which carries said pin for movementin the direction of door opening and closing, said wedge having astraight elongated inclined latch arm engaging face, a curved primarydoor holding face on said latch arm positioned to engage said inclinedface of said wedge means when said door is closed and said latch arm isin said full latched position relative to said keeper pin, and astraight elongated entering guide and secondary door holding face onsaid latch arm adjacent said primary door holding face and extending indoor closing direction therefrom substantially 18 parallel to saidstraight elongated inclined wedge face when said latch arm is in saidsecondary latched position, said straight elongated secondary doorholding face being disposed adjacent to but spaced from said straightelongated inclined face of said Wedge means toward said keeper pin andin alignment with said face of said wedge means in a directiontransverse to the opening and closing movement of the door when the doorand latch arm are in their secondary latched positions relative to saidkeeper pin whereby limited movement of said door and latch arm in adirection transverse to the opening and closing movement thereof ispermitted but movement sufficient to permit said latch arm to clear saidkeeper pin and the door to open is prevented.

EDWIN L. ALLEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 125,320 Moore Apr. 2, 1872 1,429,256 Ritchie Sept. 19, 19221,937,520 Lightner Dec. 5, 1933 2,093,465 Gland-Mantle Sept. 21, 19372,094,413 Schonitzer Sept. 23, 1937 2,099,456 Sweet Nov. 16, 19372,156,874 Schonitzer May 2, 1939 2,231,075 Lakin Feb. 11, 1941 2,246,783Dall June 24, 1941 2,270,559 Rolph Jan. 20, 1942 2,301,221 Marple Nov.10, 19-42 2,317,700 Thompson Apr. 27, 1943 2,376,992 Endter May 29, 19452,435,987 Tierney Feb. 17, 1948 2,480,688 Allen Aug. 30, 1949. 2,552,815Roethel May 15, 1951 2,569,047 Endter w Sept. 25, 1951 2,582,923 DallJan. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 25,596 Great BritainNov. 13, 1906

